


The Black Crystal Wars

by BlackBirdAolen



Category: Final Fantasy: All Media Types
Genre: Canon Characters - Freeform, Corrupted Crystal, Final Fantasy Crossover, Gen, Nautilan Knights, Original Character(s), Soul Crystal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-08
Updated: 2013-02-08
Packaged: 2017-11-28 15:05:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/675758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackBirdAolen/pseuds/BlackBirdAolen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the depths of the Yakhtian chasms, a corrupted, blackened crystal rests, causing eternal darkness to gather. Ivalice soon might face a threat coming from within the heart of the continent itself...</p><p> </p><p>  <a href="http://ask.fm/BlackBirdAolen">Got a fanfic idea for me?</a><br/><a href="http://cheroshseiphar.deviantart.com/">My deviantART - full of original fiction.</a><br/><a href="http://blackbirdaolen.tumblr.com/">Snippets and ramblings on my tumblr.</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: The Yakhtian Chasms

**Author's Note:**

> This is more likely an assembly of all the motives, characters and places in the Final Fantasy series - at least all of those I know. I don't want to tie it too strictly to one of the games or anything like that - but it might happen.
> 
> I will try to make it seem like a story which could have come from one of the games. But I won't expect too much - I'm not perfect in my writing, and I will make mistakes. If you want to point anything out, or maybe give me a little idea on what I could still add, don't hesitate to tell me. 
> 
> At any rate, I hope you will enjoy the story, and once it has grown to a certain length, I would really appreciate some feedback.

In the past, there have been many conflicts having shaken the continent of Ivalice. Many of those wars have left scars in the hearts of the old souls, and some have given birth to never ending conflicts between the different tribes inhabiting the sometimes dangerous world. Nevertheless, the crystals always seemed to have a calming effect on such conflicts, and in the end, everything would quiet down into a whisper from the past.

Some of the crystals have shattered over the years, but have been replaced by others. It has become a natural cycle, and the chronicles speaking of the crystal wars of the past haven’t been expanded in a long time.

However, there is a hidden danger slumbering in the abyss of Yakht. A black crystal, corrupted by the hatred and the pain having been brought to the wasteland, lingers where once the most horrible war had been waged. Recorded in none of the chronicles, and undetected even by the old souls, the crystal grew into something beyond comprehension. Its reach, and its influence, are about to plunge Ivalice into another horrible war, which could be the last one the continent sees before being destroyed for all eternity.

For the blackened crystal to take effect, however, it would need to find a heart burning with the wish for revenge and destruction, to harness the many souls lost in the plains of Yakht. But it has been long since anyone visited the plains of Yakht, and it might never happen that anyone dares to step onto this wasteland at any time in the future.

Yet, the threat is hanging in the air, thick and heavy in the air.

Over the course of several years, many sages have come to the Yakht plains, researching the aftermath of the horrible battle having torn up the once fertile soil. They were the ones finding shards of the black crystal, though those shards were drained of power most of the time. Some of them contained a vengeful soul, but those could be sent to their next life by the shamans. Yet, a certain concern lingered in the mind of many.

What had caused the Yakht plains to dry out like that, without a sign of recovery of plant life? The answer had to be somewhere in the chasms having opened up soon after the last war, yet no one would have been this suicidal to actually go down into one of them. Dangers lurked down there, and not only in the form of the undead and demons lurking in the shadows of the never-ending night.

There were discussions whether to punish ‘truly criminal individuals’ with banishing them into the chasms or not. But whenever this idea came up in the senate, the people protested massively against the very idea. As much as they wanted the criminals to be punished and put back into place, they would never have agreed to such harsh punishment.

Maybe, it was due to the old souls resounding in their words and beliefs that the masses never would have agreed to sending the criminals to the Yakhtian chasms. So still, the black crystal lies in wait, gathering more of the grieving souls, and causing the darkness within the widest abyss of the plain to grow even thicker.

Some of the great sages of the time have started to notice a decrease of the tribes’ population as of late. What exactly is the cause remains unknown, and what else remains a mystery is the increase in the monster populations. There have been tries to connect the one event with the other, but there never was any definite proof to back up the theory of souls from the tribes turning into monster souls. Something different must have happened in the balance of Ivalice—something which could shatter it in the near future.

But until the corrupted crystal finds the heart it needs to possess, it might just slumber in the depths of the dried out earth. Stone might be the cage for this dark power, but even stone become sand eventually, and nothing but crystal is left behind…


	2. The First Step on a Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vanias is setting out on his journey - finally, he will be able to follow his brothers' example. On his way to Nautilus, he meets three soldiers, and is offered the chance to join a guild right away...

“Today is the big day for you.”

That were the words Vanias Evres had been waiting for ever since his brothers had set out to make their living in the big cities of Ivalice. Since he finally turned 16, he was allowed to choose his own path from then on. His father was smiling, even if it seemed a little bitter around the edges. Vanias could imagine that his father was having his doubts, but at the same time, nothing could have kept him at home any longer.

Even if he had found swords and bows to not quite be the weapons of his choice, Vanias hadn’t given up on the thought of becoming a respected knight one day. No matter if paladin, dragoon or dark knight—there had been so many legendary heroes, hunters and gladiators, it was almost impossible to name them all. And they all had chosen their very own path on the way to fame and to achieve a status even the old souls accepted as important.

“Here you go. Your very own soul crystal.”

Vanias gently grasped the sphere, admiring the slight shimmer coming from it. He had seen how his brothers had beamed when they had finally been given their soul crystals, and now, he guessed he understood why they had been this happy about finally holding it in their hands.

“Thanks, Dad.”

Vanias hugged the already grey-haired man, who had allowed four of his five sons to leave home already. And now, it seemed like the former hunter would be left alone at home. A small sting of guilt shuddered through Vanias, but he pushed it aside. He couldn’t stay at home forever, not if he wanted to prove all of Ivalice that he was born to be a legend.

He tucked the crystal into a small bag, which he tied to his belt. Soul crystals were the source of power for any fighter, a proof of their experience and their many abilities alike. There had been many stories about families working on the same soul crystal and having turned it into one of the legendary Star Jewels, which were rumored to be filled with powers beyond comprehension. But in the last big war, the Yakhtian wars to be precise, all of the Star Jewels had been destroyed and left as nothing but crystal sand on the wasteland having been created from the conflict.

A shame, really, but Vanias shook it off. If there wasn’t any of the Star Jewels around, he would create his very own. At least, that was what he had sworn himself. It was possible to achieve it in a single lifetime, or so he had heard, and he surely didn’t want to pass up this possibility.

“You have your head in the clouds again.” Vanias’s father chuckled, brushing through the youth’s hair lightly. “I know what you claimed ever since Cyril left home, but you have to begin with little steps if you want to achieve this goal. It’s not easy to found an own clan, and to make yourself known in this world. You will have to prove all of Ivalice that you are willing to work hard for your goals.”

“And I will fight for it.” Vanias’s eyes shimmered. “I will prove that to all of my brothers, too!”

“Of course you will. But now, hurry up. You will miss out on your very first chance to climb the tower to success if you don’t stop dreaming.”

Vanias laughed, hugging his father tightly once more, before he dashed off. Finally, he was allowed to travel over Ivalice. He had been waiting for this day for so many years already, it had seemed like a little eternity to him. Cyril, his eldest brother, had left home when he just had been four years old. It had been then Vanias’s dream of becoming a legendary hero to Ivalice had started to sprout in his mind, and by now, it surely had become a strong wish.

Soon enough, he had left the small village of Ulyss, and was heading for the next bigger city. Nautilus, which was located by the shores of the great sea, was the first place to go when wanting to set out for such a long journey—at least if coming from Ulyss. The far bigger city of Altea was located a little more to the northeast, but Vanias was quite sure that he, at his current state, would need far too long to get there.

Adding to that, he hadn’t really got much of a plan on what to start on first. Adding to that, he didn’t really have much money with him. 1000 gil seemed much at the begin, but it soon enough would prove to be just sufficient to pass the first three days in the city. Aside of that, Vanias started asking himself if anyone would hire him into their guild. He couldn’t imagine that he just would be able to start one himself…

“Hey, you there!”

Vanias flinched and blinked over his shoulder. Three soldiers had come up to him, eyeing him for a moment. The tallest of them, a Viera, finally smirked slightly. “You’re a greenhorn, right? Would you like to join us?”

The youth was completely stunned that someone would ask him just to join them. Vanias merely nodded, blinking slightly as he shook himself out of his slight shock.

“Eh, sure, it’s just…”

“That you don’t really have any experience to brag with? That’s nothing of concern at the moment.” The Viera paced around him slowly. “For a Hume, you surely seem to have a strong wish driving you already. And you are only at the very begin.”

“Well, yes. My brothers set out to become strong fighters, and I want to be just like them.”

The Viera laughed quietly. “You see, we would need someone to take the part of the white mage. And later on, a black mage. It would be of great help if you could become our medic.”

Vanias sighed quietly. “But I rather would have liked to learn how to use a sword properly. Or at least a knife.”

“Listen here, greenhorn, you will need to roll with whatever job you can get at first. If you don’t want to join us, you might not get a chance in two moons.”

That was a rather good argument, though. Vanias thought about it for a moment, nodding slowly then. He really wanted to start somewhere, and he had to begin with the more humble steps.

“Alright, I will be your healer, medic, white mage … whatever you want to call it.”

“Good. Then you shall become a member of the Nautilan Knights. I’m Fian, the leader of the clan. And what is your name?”

“Vanias. And I guess I am a … medic, from now on.”

Vanias wasn’t unhappy about this opportunity, yet he wasn’t quite satisfied with it either. He would have hoped for a different offer, but then again, it wouldn’t have been wise to decline Fian’s proposition.

“I guess I don’t have to explain to you how to use your soul crystal, right?”

Fian’s question reminded Vanias of the sphere in his bag. He grasped it, closing his eyes for a moment. He had seen how it worked, but always had been told that it couldn’t really be demonstrated just like that. Every single one had to find out how to use it, but in the end, it shouldn’t be too difficult.

 

***

 

“So, you only started your adventure?” Fian sounded quite amused. “You seemed to be quite enthusiastic, but I rather assumed that you would be somewhat experienced.”

“Flattering, really, but yes. I left home just this morning.”

Vanias shrugged lightly, while he walked with the three soldiers. Fian was close to completing an important quest, as it seemed, and the other two (an Aegyl called Luvas, and a Banga going by Zu) had started the rather small and unknown guild with Fian just about three weeks prior. They hadn’t set any too big goals yet, but they surely were willing to try anything to become a better known guild, and get more work.

“It’s hard to earn yourself a good gil these days.” Fian sighed quietly, scratching behind one of her long ears. “With how the monsters are running loose, it seems easy to get a kill and sell their hides, fangs or whatever for some money, but with how much is sold on the markets, only the rare beasts are really providing a good reward.”

“And what about the many quests around the cities?”

“Eh, well, it’s not unusual to deny a guild to take the quest if there is a better guild wanting to take it over. So, the new ones have to stick to the simple things at first. It has gotten really hard for the new ones to start off.”

“I see…” Vanias sighed quietly, toying around with a little magic. The soft shimmer a Cure spell created was something rather pleasant to the eye, and he had to admit he was fascinated by the little magic already flowing in his veins. “I thought it would be easy. But I guess I have been mistaken.”

“It surely was easy for your brothers, that much is true.” Luvas had been picking loose feathers out of his wings for the past half hour, but now, he seemed to bother participating in the conversation. “I don’t know what exactly changed, but some things simply changed.”

“There is nothing such as simplicity.” Zu’s hissing voice made Vanias flinch strongly, as he hadn’t heard the Bangaa talk up to this point. “Not if you ask me, at least.”

“What is your theory then, Zu?” Fian chuckled. “Would you suggest that some higher power has set its efforts on making it impossible for new guilds to follow the trails of the established ones?”

Zu hissed lightly, but didn’t say anything more. It was impossible to tell, but Vanias had the impression that the Bangaa was ashamed of what he had said. They focused their banter on something different quite soon, though, so it didn’t really matter in the end. And, after all, it seemed to start off pretty well for them, so why should he have complained?


End file.
